9. Detroit Pistons | Status: Tanking | Record: 24-39 (1-3) The Pistons' status has turned from TRYING to TANKING this week as they do everything in their power to avoid sending the Bobcats their draft pick (the Bobcats get their pick if it is nine or higher). Detroit has won just once in the past eight games. A home game against the Kings on Tuesday could hurt their tank job a bit. But a long West Coast trip at the end of March could put the Pistons back on track to keep their pick.

Ok, so what I can not get at all, how can anyone value a draft pick for the Pistons at this point? This organization is not showing it can get any wins from drafting. Instead, regardless of how much talent gets put on the roster, the organization manages to find a coach to mismanage that talent to the nth degree. And then, Dumars finishes the job by shipping off promising young players and getting zilch for them. Time and time again. To compound the problem, Dumars has made two really huge mistakes, bringing in Gordon and CV. One of which, he still has not addressed.

Jury still out on both Smith and Jennings too. I still say Jennings should take a sabatical from playing, spend all his effort, every fiber in his body, toward learning how to finish at the basket with the right hand on the right side.

Anyway, back to that draft thing. Which will put more seats in the stands? A playoff drive? Or tanking and trying to promise us fans better things "next year." How few still believe in that next year stuff. When Gores first bought the team, we gave him the benefit of the doubt, and really believed he cared about winning. That was then. Now, he is looking like someone pretending to care. He fired the sympton, Cheeks, but not the root cause, Dumars.

Lee, I'm going to talk for myself. It's not that I value more a draft pick over playoffs. It's that I value more a draft pick over getting nothing and stay out of playoffs another year.

If we would have a draft pick without the protection, I wouldn't even be a part of this thread.

Call me a pessimist, I prefer realistic, but I don't see us getting into playoffs when I watch that the players aren't synchronized by the coach. This is not a team and we all know. While watching Jennings bounce from screen to screen allowing the oponent PG to do whatever he wants, when watching Josh Smith chucking jumpshots, and Singler poor effort on D.

We are not trying to sabotage this team.

It's like this, we are not going to get to the playoffs, so, at least, we can get a pick (only if we are under the 8th pick).

I concur....we have been in the disaster zone even before this thread started over 13 days ago and have not made any progress either way. We are still 3 games out the playoffs and 2 games out of the lottery protected pick. The Hawks are 1-9 over their last 10 and we are 2-8.

It's a conspiracy...the teams behind us...are doing their best to maintain their positions and ironically the Knicks, Cavs, Celtics, Magic, Bucks, and Jazz are all 3-7 in their last 10. The Lakers and Kings are 4-6 and the Sixers are doing the we don't care tank job with 16 straight losses.

We are stuck in the middle and unless we can win 5-6 in a row or lose 5-6 in a row we are probably doomed in this zone until season end with no draft pick and no playoffs. If a new GM is in the wings and is already on board as soon as the Piston season is over, is he savvy enough to trade that 7th or 8th pick for a vet or does he put another baby face on the team looking for real direction that the last 4 rookies didn't get.

I concur....we have been in the disaster zone even before this thread started over 13 days ago and have not made any progress either way. We are still 3 games out the playoffs and 2 games out of the lottery protected pick. The Hawks are 1-9 over their last 10 and we are 2-8.

I agree with TaS....If we were to get say the 5th pick and it was more valuable to another team, we need to listen for an offer and yes send it and a FA somewhere for a couple of vets.(that can lead, play D and shoot) The problem is, the last serviceable vet that we got that was any good was Dice...can anyone else thrive here? I hope Hollins or Karl have already been out to visit Gores LA office to talk about the coaching job... We need to have the right guy in place before any draft or trade scenarios are discussed. ~ probably a coach and GM I would think...

What's great is that the Pistons are a couple games ahead of the worst teams in the L, teams that are trying to lose, after they spent $75-80 million in FA.

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I am starting to believe they are going to do it. They are going to draft 8 or even 7 - they are just that bad! And here is Monroe waiting for his big max deal, what a joke. Probably start winning more if coach ever goes with the usual tank plan of playing the obscure bench.